Method of constructing subways.



E. R. SHNABLE.

METHOD OF GONSTRUOTING SUBWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1912.

Mme/5595: I

Patented July 16, 1912.

" 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Weak/1' E. R. SHNABLI'].

METHOD OF GONSTRUGTING SUBWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10,1912.

1,032,952. Patented July 16, 1912.

3 SBEETSSHEET 2.

2'5 i i Q27 & 1

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E. R. SHNABLEJ METHOD OF GONSTRUOTING SUBWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY-10,1912.

Patented July 16, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Jade/2827:

I To all whom it may concern:

EMILE R. SHNABLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD 0? cous'rnuo'rme sUBwaYs. 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Application filed May 10, 1912. Serial No. 896,407. I

Be it known that I, EMILE R. SHNABLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chi: cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method ofConstructing Subways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to subway constructions forunderground railways and the like, and more particularly to the methodof constructing the same.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to construct asubway without disturbing the foundations or causing settlement ordisplacement of adjacent buildings.

Another object is to construct a subway with a minimum amount ofinterruption to street t'rafiic and so that the street will be closedfor a minimum length of time.

A further object is to reduce the time and labor involved in theconstruction of a subway and also the amount of temporary materialrequired thereby greatly decreasing the ultimate cost of theconstruction.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the invention is betterunderstood by reference to the following description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferredmethod of carrying my invention into practical efiect.

Referring to the drawingsFigure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showingthe first pairs of columns set along the line of the proposed subway;Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the disposition of the remainingcolumns; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the preferred order oferecting the side wall sections; Fig. 4 is a similar view showing allthe side walls in position; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary' plan view-showingthe shape of the columns; Fig. .6 is a cross sectional view showing thevertical columns partially formed and a hollow cross strut in positionbeneath the floor line of the subway; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of thecross strut .taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a similar viewtaken on the line 88 of Fig. 6; Fig.9 is a view similar to Fig. 6showing the columns and lower and top struts completed; Fig. 10 is afragmentary plan view of a side retaining wall; Fig. 11 is alongitudinal sectional view of the subway after excavation has beencompleted; and Fig. 12

buildings and also with minimum'interrup,

tion to street traflic. r

The first step in my improved method consists in provlding on each-sideof the proposed subway a row of vertically disposed bores or holes inwhich the columns are subsequently set. These bores will referablyextend a considerable distance below the floor line of the proposedsubway and below the foundations of-adjacent buildings, the depth of thebores, of course, being determined by the character of the soil andother local conditions. The bores are arranged in pairs on oppositesides of the proposed subway and may be of caisson, or other preferredconstruction, and for ordinary work are usually about five feet incross-section. One pair of bores indicated by reference characters 24.-and 25 is shown in Fig. 6. After the boreshave been dug to the requireddepth they are filled with reinforced concrete 26 and 27 to a pointabout five or six feet below the floor line of the proposed subway. Atransversely extending bore is then dug connecting the bores 24 and 25and the strut during construction and after completion of the subway.The side walls are also provided with openings for connection with pipes31 by means of which the various struts are connected so that the watercollected therein may be conveyed away to a sump with pump orsipumps.These pipes, however, are not placed in posit-ion until after theexcavation for the subway proper has been completed, as will be laterdescribed. The ends of the strut 28 are provided with bulkheads 32 and33 and thereafter the concrete columns or pillars 26 and 27 are built upto a point several feet beneath the street lever. A trench is then dugbetween the columns in which'a top strut 33 is constructed connectingthe tops of the columns. The tops of the columns and the top struthavean interlocking connection, as shown in Fig. 9, so that this strutserves to brace the tops of the columns against lateral movement ineither direction.

In sinking the bores and constructin the columns and cross struts theamount-o ma terial removed is so slight that there is very little dangerof disturbance to or settling of the adjacent buildings but, in order toreduce this contingency to a minlmum, I prefer to sinkthe bores anderect the columns and struts in the following order: Viewing Fig. l,the'bores are sunk and the columns and struts arranged in pairs in theorder indicated by letters a, b, 0 and d in each block and, thereafter,the intermediate airs are constructed in a similar manner 1n-the orderindicated in Fig. 2 by letters a, f, g and h. It will be manifest thatby boring andconstructing the columns and struts in the orderindlcatedthe l1ab1l1ty of disturbin the foundations of adjacentbuildings wi lbe reduced to a minimum.

In carrying out the method thus far described there obviously has beenno interruption-to street traflic except during the digging of the crosstrenches for the top struts 33 and, as these are relatively shallow andthe struts can be constructed and coveredin a short time, theinterruption to street trafiic is very slight. 7

After a block of columns and struts has been completed the sideretaining walls are constructed in the following manner: trench is dugbetween adjacent columns on one side of the proposed subway, the wallsof which are braced and shored as the work proceeds. This trench is dugappro rimately to the depth of the hollow brace struts 28 and the sidewalls 34 are erected therein. The columns 26 and 27, as shown in Figs. 5and 10, are irregular in cross-section so that the sections of sidewalls may interlock therewith to form a ri id construction. The sidewalls are preferab y of reinforced concrete construction and may be ofany desired thickness and cross-sectional shape although, in the presentinstance, I have shown them as heavier at the bottom and tapened off atthe to as indicated by 35. In order not to inter ere with thefoundations or cause settling of adjacent buildings the side wallsections are preferably constructed alternately and in the orderindicated in Fig. 3 by letters 2', j, k, Z, m, and n, and theintervening sections are subsequently constructed in the order indicatedin Fig. 4 by letters 0, 72 g, and 1'. It will thus be seen that I amabie to provide a rigid and permanent side wall construction for thesubway, without disturbin ment of adjacent buil ings, and that the orcausing settle- 1 construction work may proceed with no bracing orshoring except in the erection of temporary light sheeting and bracingfor the trenches in which the side retaining walls 34 are constructed.

The construction thus far described prov des permanent and rigid sidewalls for the subway which are adequately reinforced and braced apart bythe hollow struts 28 and the top struts 33. During the construetionthere has been no interruption to sidewalk traffic and only a temporaryinterruption to street traflic ,during the digging of the trenches forthe top struts. The material between the side walls rnay be nowexcavated from the top with great rapidity since no shoring or bracingneed be done and no obstacles are present to interfere with theoperation of the steam shovels or other machines employed in the work ofexcavation. The material between the walls 1s removed to the requireddepth which is about on a line with the top of the cross struts 28. Atrench may then be dug connecting the'hol-low struts 28 in which thedrain pipes 31 are laid. The floor 37 is then laid in sections theendsof which rest upon the struts 28. The partition walls 38 may then beerected upon which the roof 39 is supported and the new pavement 41 maybe laid over the roof construction. The partition or dividing walls 38may vary in number and arrangement to suit the con-. ditions of eachparticular construction. In the present instance I have shown, merelyfor purposes of illustration, three dividing walls dividing the subwayinto two central passages for the trains and two side passages for thereception of sewer pipes, water pi es, electrical conduits, etc.

11 constructing a' subway in accordance with my invention the sidewalks42 have been unobstructed) during the entire operation so that thereneed be no interruption of trade in the stores or buildings alon theline of operation and the street trac is only delayed during theexcavation for the subway proper and the erection of the dividing wallsand the roof and the relaying of the pavement; whereas, in ordinaryconstruction work as practised prior to my invention the street has beenblocked from the time that the initial ground was broken until theentire construction was completed.

From the foregoing it will be understood that I have deviseda method ofsubway construction which eliminates the tedious and expensive shoringand bracing ordinarily required and permits the rapid and economicalconstruction of a subway without disturbing or permitting settlement ofadjacent buildings and with a minimum in terruption to traiiic.

It is believed that my method and the procedure in conformity therewithwill be understood from the foregoing without further description and,it will be obvious, that considerable modification in the various stepsemployed may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionor sacrificing any of the material advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. A method of constructing a subway, consisting in setting columns atintervals along the side lines of a proposed subway, bracing the rows ofcolumns apart, providing side retaining walls between the individualcolumns of each row, and then excavating the material between theretaining walls.

2. A method of constructing a subway, consisting in setting rows ofspaced columns along each side of a proposed subway, connectingoppositely disposed-columns of the rows by means of bracing struts,connecting theindividual columns of each row by means of retainingwalls, excavating the material between the walls, and then constructingthe floors, partitions and roof.

3. A method of constructing a subway, consisting in setting a row ofspaced columns along each side of a proposed subway, providing hollowstruts connecting the oppositely disposed columns of the rows beneaththe floor line of the subway, forming a side wall in sections on eachside of the subway, each section being disposed between adjacent columnsof a row, and then excavating the material between the side wallswithout shoring or bracing.

4. A method of constructing a subway, consisting in setting a row ofspaced columns along each side of a proposedsubway, bracing theoppositely disposed columns of each row apart at their tops and betweentheir ends, erecting side retaining walls between the individual columnsof each row, and then excavating the material between said walls.

5. A method of constructing a subway,

consisting in providing a row of verticalbores on each side of aproposed subway and extending below the floor thereof, connecting theoppositely disposed bores with transverse bores extending beneath thefloor line of the proposed subway, constructing a hollow strut in eachof said transverse bores, providing a column in each of said verticalbores, constructing side walls in sections connecting the individualcolumns in each row, and subsequently excavating the material betweenthe side walls.

6. A method of constructing a subway, consisting in setting columns inpairs along the line of the proposed subway on each side thereof,providing struts connecting the columns of each pair beneath the floorline and above the roof of-the slibway, connecting the individualcolumns on each side of the subway by side retaining walls, and thenexcavating the material between the retaining walls.

- 7 A method of constructing a subway, consisting in setting columns inpairs, the columns of each pair being disposed on opposite sides of theproposed subway, connecting the columns of each pair by a hollowconcrete strut disposed beneath the floor line of the subway,connect-ing the individual columns on each side of the subway by side.

retaining walls, the sections of said walls being erected inalternation, and subsequently excavating the material between the sidewalls. i EMILE R. -SHNABLE. Witnesses:

IRA J. WILSON,

M. A. KIDDIE.

